As with the Albums of the Year, 2010 will go down as a high water mark for the amount of top quality songs released, and just like with the albums, some songs that on other years would be near the top got pushed down a rung, and the requisites on who could qualify for the top mark got more stringent.

A Song of the Year can’t just be good, it has to touch you. You have to be a different person, in whatever small way, after listening to it. Points are rewarded for things like catchiness and accessibility, but you’ll have to get at least a little bit deep to makes this year’s list. Great songs speak to many people, but to each individual in different ways. We also saw a lot of songs this year with an epic approach, whose sheer vision and grand design deserves to be highlighted.

Here are the 2010 candidates: I tried to provide links to the full songs, and where not available I made sample players through Amazon.

The Boomswagglers Run You Down from the Outlaw Radio Compilation Vol.1 This is going to sound like pointy-nosed music critic talk, but the beauty of this song is it’s simplicity. Nothing groundbreaking here, no esoteric lyrics. But it works. Great songs can communicate soul without saying much, and that is what this one does. For the first national exposure for these dudes, it was a home run. Keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming tour and record from Hillgrass Bluebilly Records.

Roger Alan Wade – Ruins of Paradise – from Deguello Motel – Whether it is the song of they year is yet to be determined, but without question it contains the line of the year, “Some hostile Pentecostal prophet, shakes a God-forsaken snake in my face. The pagan says “Man, just get off it.’ Blames it all on a God he don’t believe in anyway.” The best song on a masterpiece album.

Left Arm Tan – Wish – from Jim – I’m sure most have never heard of Left Arm Tan, or their excellent song “Wish,” but this dark horse out of left field not only belongs here, but just might win. Some may think I’m losing my mind to name this song a candidate, but if you’ve not heard it yet and given it a chance, you’re missing out. It prompted my first song review, and is a perfect example that in the current music climate, the cream doesn’t rise to the top, and I’m not just talking about the weird stuff we all listen to around here.

Jayke Orvis – Dreadful Sinner -from It’s All Been Said – Jayke could’ve had another candidate with ‘Streets,” but “Dreadful Sinner” is just a much more epic undertaking in so many ways, and really highlights Jayke’s contributions to music best. This isn’t a song, it is a composition.

Hank III – Karmageddon – from Rebel Within – I caught a little flack for naming this in my mid-year list, even from Hank III supporters. But even in the face of adversity, I proclaim this song a standout track for 2010 for it’s freshness, unique approach, and theme. Yes, I know Hank III did not write it, but he was possibly the only one who could flesh the full potential of this song out by a fearless approach and vision.

Hellbound Glory – Be My Crutch – from Old Highs & New Lows – You might opine that this is me picking a favorite track of an album just because the album was one of the best of the year. On a top tier album, every song has to be good, but “Be My Crutch” cuts through the crowd not only from it’s own strength, but because at its heart, it’s a love song, and a love song that is actually good is one of the hardest things to write and perform.

Joseph Huber – Can’t You See A Flood’s A-Comin’ – from Bury Me Where I Fall – From a lyrical standpoint, there may not be one better this year. Listen, and heed the warning.

Possessed by Paul James – When It Breaks – from Feed the Family – They say when Possessed plays a song, it is like he is giving birth. If that is the case, this is the pick of the litter. Infinite soul combined with great singing and playing make this simple song so much more than the sum of its parts.

Honorable Mentions:

Hillstomp – Cardiac Arrest in D – from Darker The Night – For the best balls-out song of the year, this one takes the cake. It is wickedly infectious. What is the song about? What are the lyrics? Eh, who cares, I’m too busy banging my head.

.357 String Band – Oh Adeline, The Days Engrave, Ride Again – from Lightning from the North – Any of these songs and maybe a few more from this album could have made the top list if it wasn’t such a crowded list this year. But if one of these is your fav for 2010, I can’t argue.

Dale Watson – Hey Brown Bottle – from Carryin’ On – This song was ergonomically-designed to fit Dale’s voice perfectly. Never has it shined more.

Trampled by Turtles – Wait So Long, It’s A War, Bloodshot Eyes – from Palomino – They’re know best for their blazing fast bluegrass-esque numbers, but the slow “Bloodshot Eyes” ballad is one not to overlook.

Lucky Tubb & Wayne Hancock – Hillbilly Fever, West – from Hillbilly Fever – can’t talk about songs without mentioning duets with Wayne and Lucky. “Ramblin'” is destined to be a standard of the Lucky rotation moving forward as well.

Also liked Reverend Deadeye’s version of “Chased Ol’ Satan,” and there were a ton of great songs from people like Bob Wayne and Six Gun Britt and Rachel Brooke on the Outlaw Radio Compilation Vol. 1 that you need to check out if you have not.

So there’s my list, leave your complaints below. Comments will be considered in the final winner, but this is not an up and down vote type thing. I’m sure I’m overlooking a few songs , so enlighten us all by leaving any ones left out below.

112 Comments

great list there. so true about how songs touch people, how different songs speak to different people in different ways. i got 3 or 4 real standouts on that list, a couple making their way towards my all-time list. great year for music.

Joe Pug deserves much more attention around here. I saw him perform right after SXSW, and I’m pretty sure he did “Not So Sure” and I was blown away. He lives in Austin now so I’m hoping to see him live very soon.

And Downtime is a good one. In my album review, it looked like I was talking it down, but it just stuck out in mood with the rest of the album, and I’m as stickler about such things.

Yeah, I’d tend to agree, but the problem with that song is so many people know it first as a Hayes Carll song. Nothing against Hayes Carll, but it’s hard to name a song the best of the year, when it was released by someone the year before who was a co-writer, and that person’s version is probably the better known of the two. I don’t know, definitely an excellent song though, and worth checking out.

It may be better known as a Hayes Carl song, but that doesn’t make Hayes Carl’s version The Better version. I think Kris Kristopherson’s version of Sunday Moning comeing Down is great, but it isn’t anywhere close to how great Johnny Cash’s version is. Just my opinion but hold a song out of compation just because somebody different recorded it a year earlyer doesn’t make since to me.

Totally agree the Ray Wylie version is better. And if someone wants to name it their song of the year, I would be totally fine with that. Just in this year of stiff competition, I had to draw the line somewhere. Ray Wylie gets plenty of attention around here, and he will continue to, and for good reason.

I also like “Streets” better, but I totally understand why Triggerman picked “Dreadful Sinner”. If I was trying to turn someone on to Jayke’s music, “Dreadful Sinner” is the song I would play. I would follow it up straight away with “Streets”, and probably “Raise the Moon”, but that’s another story…

Also, since you included Hillstomp on the list does that mean we can jot down other blues artists/tracks? If so, I’d definitely like to include Hollowbelly’s “Shotgun” from his Punk, Northern and Blue album. If there was a blues-focused equivalent of this site, I’d bet that album would easily win album of the year. Also I’d have to nominate Ten Foot Polecats “Tears on my Windshield” from their latest album “I Get Blamed for Everything I do”.

The Boomswagglers are pretty bluesy as well, and Hillstomp has more country in them than I think you care to admit. Since the site is called Saving Country Music, you definitely get points for being country, and the closer to country, the better. But country has always been a big tent. The reason Hank Williams was country’s first superstar is because he took hillbilly music and infused it with the blues, so a good blues song can break barriers and be included, but it has to be something really special.

I’d like to hear your thoughts on “Street.” I really considered putting it in as well as “Dreadful Sinner.” In fact if someone put a gun to my head and said I had to add another song to this list, that would be it. But it didn’t seem fair with so many great songs to do that.And if I had to add another Album of the Year it would be It’s All Been Said. The second half of is just one amazing song after another.

Sure Hillstomp has some country in them but they’ve said before that RL Burnside is the reason they became a band. They’ve covered him plenty of times as well as his mentor Fred McDowell.

Since I don’t know how to play music and can’t explain anything on the technical structure of a song, it’s hard for me to explain without sounding like a jackass. Basically when I hear the song “Streets”, to me, it sounds like he’s singing a song heavily based in truth as well as a broad culmination of the experiences of the last few years with all the hardships and good times that have occurred. Plus it’s catchy as fuck and it’s helped introduce some other musicians to the listeners that they may have not heard much of before. <– AKA me.

When I sat in my van and talked with Jayke this July It’s All Been Said had just been finished. He gave me a copy. I remember liking the artwork but I set it aside until the next day when we took the long drive home to Ohio from Michigan. When I listened to it, I remember I got goosebumps. I had gone to see him with GDG because I had liked them so much at Muddy Roots. I felt terrible that I hadn’t heard his solo stuff prior to doing that interview…I would have had so much more to ask him…

i know kyle turley is a bit of a hit or miss with people..but i give him credit for how he’s tryin and doing his own thing man…some of his songs..no i dont like ..but another whiskey is a damn good song in my book

Karmageddon- is definitely the most different/unique sound. It paints a picture that is very HankIII. I like the tune.

Wish- is a great song. I am surprised, albeit glad, this song hasn’t been picked up by a “mainstream” artist. It could easily get major radio play.

Although I will get shit for this… and I know the general charter of the site, but good music is good music…So I will nominate Jamey Johnson’s “Can’t Cash My Checks”. The song is pretty relevant for the times, and is well written. And it isn’t getting any more radio play than these tunes on the list.

Hey Trig. I agree and I know your stance on Jamey getting the hipe from the big boys, so not knocking why his songs weren’t on this list.

I was going to say “My Way to You” but thought I might be bias and to personal in the sense that the first time I heard it, I stopped in my tracks, literally, had to go to a quiet corner at work contain myself. I think it hit me so hard because it came out shortly after I met my now current fiance, and really validated to me my life, good or bad, was for a reason. I do enjoy how Jamey left the “you” open ended to fit for a guy, girl or simply a spiritual idea of “finding my way to you”.
It is a tremendous song and I am glad it isn’t a huge radio hit… it is special for those it connects with!
Nice to hear it caught your attention.

I just wanted to add about “Be My Crutch” by Hellbound Glory, that I went through a really rough time in my life, and I did a lot of drugs, and drinking. I just met a guy though who is really my crutch now. He’s not judging me for my past and all the bad things that I’ve done in life. He’s amazing. So I just relate to the song where he’ll be my crutch even if I mess up he’s still going to be there to hold me up and take care of me, and not judge me.

Like I said above, great songs touch us all in different ways, almost like they can see right into your soul, and know your personal experiences, even though they are being sung by a perfect stranger. “Be My Crutch” fits that description perfectly.

the music and lyrics really sucked me in the first few times i listened to it. the acoustic guitar is sort of hypnotic and i love Hunicutt’s spaced out electric. “… feelin much better when ya turn off the phone” i couldn’t agree more. everything about it really resonates with me. to top it off, i had the good fortune to see him do it live, and hearing the story behind it makes it a lot more moving. it spoke to me on one level without hearing what Jayke put into it, but to put it in the context of his life really makes it powerful.

I’m amazed how many songs here are being mentioned off of Jaykes and Joe Huber’s albums. I know that Jayke is not longer with .357, but I think this speaks volumes to the bed of creativity that group is. It is becoming kind of like the BR549 of the new generation, churning out members who can make a name on their own.

“Be My Crutch” by Hellbound Glory has been my wife and I’s favorite song since we started seeing Hellbound live about 2 years ago. When Leroy starts playing that song anywhere in Reno (or at this point, all over the country) the whole crowd starts leaning on their significant other, swaying to the music and singing along. Let’s face it, at the end of the night we have all needed somebody to be our crutch and walk our drunk asses home. It’s a love song for real people.

Big A – Lookin for a Mountain is my favorite from Rebel Within, too. i think he did a great job of summing up his struggles. and now, like a lot of other people around here, i’m curious about how he washes his hands of the whole mess.

Lookin’ For a Mountain I’d agree is probably the funnest song on the album to listen to, I just don’t think it is groundbreaking like Karmageddon. III and the band referred to it as “The Waylon Song” for a while before the album came out. Nothing wrong with sounding like Waylon, but the best song of the year has to be something fresh, in my opinion.

Just to bring Taylor into this conversation to make it a proper SCM blog, I was in the grocery tonight and I saw some of those magazines at the check out. There was a picture of Taylor Swift with the guy that was gay with Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain? What is his name? Anyway, her eyes are WAY FREAKY. They are very far apart…in a creepy way…Now I understand your comment. She kind of looks like an alien…

Yeah, that picture of the two of them was taken 2 blocks from my apt. It’s the talk of the hood (gag). I’ve been keeping my eyes open for her so I can ask her directly if my beloved Triggerman is the mean monster she cackles about.

My pick of the list is ‘Flood is a Comin’. One other tune that I like a lot from the year is J.B.’s Lonely Road. Not the best recording but it’ll tide me over until the next album (as long as we ai’nt waiting to long). Good List.

I like that tune, and many others from Gospel Haunted, but I just have to question whether Those Poor Bastards are 1) country enough 2) accessible enough to name Song of the Year. I think it would fuel the flames of people who say all we do around here is listen to weird, obscure music that the masses could never enjoy.

Fair enough, sir, I do see your point. Though now I do feel obligated to explain exactly why I think Those Poor Bastards are such an awesome band and very important to the genre.

I have always fancied myself a metalhead, ever since I was a little fucker. And I’ve been fairly closed-minded to anything that’s not heavy for a very long time. I discovered Metallica when I was 11 years old; no need to get into how old I am now, that’s neither here nor there, but I’ve been nothing but a diehard metalhead for most of my life. I never thought I could really appreciate anything else.

My mom actually turned me into a closet Hank III fan when Risin’ Outlaw came out. I enjoyed III, but I’d never tell a soul, cause country music ain’t fuckin brutal metal. I bought Straight to Hell because I appreciated III’s earlier works, I had heard about III’s ventures into metal (Assjack’s This Ain’t Country) and I thought that MIGHT have been what I was purchasing. Not only had I not seen such evil imagery on a country album cover before, but I had also damn sure never seen a “Parental Advisory” sticker on a country album. Needless to say, I was a little surprised (though I shouldn’t have been, I suppose, based on my lack of research before buying the album) at what I heard. But still, I enjoyed it, but kept such notions to myself.

The metalhead in me still wanted to find the METAL I craved from that III sound, and somehow my search for such lead me to Those Poor Bastards. The first song I heard was The Dust Storm. That was some of the weirdest, most evil, fucked up shit I’ve EVER heard, man, and it damn sure ain’t metal. I fell in love with that sound, and I instantly bought their entire discography, and I’ve been in love ever since.

Honestly, since then, I thought “ya know, maybe there’s something to this country shit after all.” And honestly, I’ve discovered something every bit as dark, as true, as brutally honest and as fucked up as some of my favorite metal in country music.

I see why you would say that Those Poor Bastards “aren’t country enough.” But I gotta tell you, sir…they opened the door for me. I never would have appreciated country music without them. I’m still fairly new to the genre, and I’m proud to say that I rely on this site for all of my new ventures into country music; but Those Poor Bastards definitely bridged the gap for me.

I hear what you are saying, and I can’t disagree with any of it. If you sift through the comment sections of these articles, you will find me making a lot of these same points. I DO think TPB’s are country, in The Louvin Brothers mold with a gothic feel, but their music is not accessible, simple as that. That doesn’t mean it is not accessible to you or thousands of others. A great song, one that has a chance to be called the best of the year, has to speak to a wide swath of people without compromising taste. It’s not accessible because it is catchy, but if a song is harsh to the ear on purpose, it is going to be disqualified as being accessible. TPB’s make weird sounding music on purpose, and that is why you and me love it, but it doesn’t make it a very good ambassador, for lets say, Hellbound Glory’s music, or even Hank III’s for that matter.

I think Lonesome Wyatt is a mad genius and I love his music. But if I named a TPB’s song as the best of the year, it would play right into the hands of the critics who say we only like weird obscure shit, and hate everything else simply because it is popular. I would rather pick a song that proves that philosophy wrong.

I haven’t heard the song in question but I don’t see where being accessible to the masses is relevant to how good a song is. The masses eat up shit like Sugarland for crying out loud. My favorite music is almost always the stuff that has to grow on me… Music that is unique and requires multiple listens to reveal it’s genious is often the most rewarding… I listened to radio/pop country til about 1998 when as a 19 year old I discovered Black Sabbath. I then tried to get into Metallica but found Hetfield’s vox, on the Black album no-less, to be TOO abrasive. I gave them a chance anyway just to get my money’s worth and fell in love with them. Even still, their “Justice” album sat on my shelf for over a year before I would give it a second chance. It is now one of my all-time favorites. This happened again when I bought my first Pantera cd. Today I have a son who is named after Dimebag and James Hetfield. The point I am trying to make is that what some may deem to be un-accessible or intentionally abrasive may actually be brilliant. So many people only want to hear the familar, which is the very reason that radio, in all music genres, sucks balls! I don’t think you should be worried about what your critics might think if you were to have a TPB song amongst the others. Is it truly country is a different question… That said, I could certainly hear Johnny Cash, were he still with us, recording their material.

On a side note, I took my 9 year old neice to town yesterday. She is homeschooled and lives a VERY sheltered life. Her mom only lets her listen to gospel and radio/pop country. My wife and I had a mix cd in our stereo with mostly old or atleast older sounding country on it. Everything from Webb Pierce, Johnny Cash, Rachel Brooke (Closer Still), even some JB Beverly and the Wayward Drifters. At one point I asked her if she new what kind of music we were listening to… The answer was no.

Look, you don’t have to spend much time on this site to figure out pretty quickly that I am not about promoting music simply because it is popular or accessible, and I went into more detail about accessibility and my thoughts on it in the comment above. But the simple fact is, is if a song appeals to a lot of people, and doesn’t take a lot of deep digging or back story on a band to understand it, then that is an asset to that song. I love Those Poor Bastards music, and have espoused that in print and promoted their music more than any other website or magazine that exists on the planet. BUT, I also know that their music is not for everyone. If I played “Open Wounds” for 90% of music consumers, they would think that the song was a joke it was so bad. If you ask me, it’s their loss. But I am looking to find the best song that illustrates the type of music we love and appreciate here, I’m not going to pick one that most people will find repulsive. Accessibility is not the only trait I measure in music, but it is an important one, and having no regard for accessibility or not seeing the need or usefulness in music is a mistake that I think is made often, especially around here, and it has been made by me in the past.

Good song. I kind of lumped that with some other songs on the Outlaw Comp. 2011 might be the year of Rachel. She has a new album coming out in January that she has been working on for a very long time.

charlie parr-i wish i was in heaven sitting down(glory in the meeting place)
a gospel song that gets me every time.had a chance to see him play last friday, fuckin incredible. if you get a chance to see him live dont miss it.

he sang “aint no grave” acapella(?) to end the show, emotional for me as its a song i’ve heard all my life and i’ve also lost two of my kinfolk in the past 3 months.somethin i wont soon forget.and my mistake, the album is glory in the meeting house, not meeting place.

Has there been a recent thread about gospel songs? That would be interesting, since there are many songs that are gospel-like or do touch people in that way from many SCM artists.

Not to change this blog, but playing off the gospel vibe here…
“Lead Me Home” and “My Way To You” from Jamey Johnson are pretty solid. He didn’t write Lead Me Home (Randy Houser and Craig Monday) but he co-wrote My Way To You.

Lead Me Home was introduced to me the day after my Grandma passed. It is a very touching tune for someone that lives a long, full life.

triggerman, we are honored to have made the list with “wish”. there is no question that the music is different from most of what you guys are into here, but it’s not hard to listen to and if you get past the production you will “get it” and I am glad you did. the theme definitely fits. i hope that your fans will listen long enough to “get it” as well. we would love to hear from them.

i think my favorite on the list is “dreadful sinner”. it is quite dark for me but it evokes emotion especially combined with the video. i also love the trampled by turtles honorable mention tune. thanks again for your support!

After listening to most of the songs I can only say that you really have a difficult task to pick one for song of the year. I really like Ruins of Paradise, and actually all of the songs you nominated. But I think my vote is for Wish. I downloaded it from their website and ended up listening to it at least 30 times this weekend. So much so that I ended up buying the album too. It just speaks to me.

Left Arm Tan – WISH – gotta be the winner. Texas boys that know how to sing real country music. Wish is a great song and Coonass? – now that is just plain brilliant and speaks to me on my redneck side!

Wish is a great song & I think everyone can relate to it & have felt that way at some time in their life. Coonass grabs you the first time you hear it & by the second time, you are singing along with it. The album is great & Left Arm Tan is a very talented band. If you get the chance, you need to see them perforn.

Wish and Blown Away are great songs. I would like to hear more of them. In fact, I believe that anyone who takes the time to listen to their music would become a fan just as I did. Some day every radio station in america will be playing their music.

“Be My Crutch” made #35 on The 9513’s “Top 50 Country Songs of 2010”. Pretty impressive considering they’re one of the only “underground” bands on the list. It’s filled with Jamey Johnson, Alan Jackson, Dierks Bentley, Dale Watson and even a Taylor Swift song sneaked on there. Just thought I’d pass that along. Here’s the link:http://www.the9513.com/the-best-country-songs-of-2010/

The 9513 is a good site that tries to give everyone a fair seat at the table regardless of commercial success. Juli Thanki also wrote a great review for Old Highs and New Lows for that site. I’ve written for them a few times as well. Also glad to see Dale Watson and Marty Stuart get such great representation over there as well.